Ingot mold



E. GATHMANN Dec. 13, 1932.

INGOT MOLD Filed Oct. 4, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Bnvcntor,

Gttorncgs.

m www Patented Dec. 13, v1932 Y entren STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EMIL GATBMANN, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND INGOT MOLD Application led October Il, 1930. Serial No. 486,463.

This invention relates to apparatus for mold as is the case with a big-end-up ingot stripping, ingots from ingot molds and more having' a shrink head portion. particularly to an improved apparatus for Prior to the present invention, the pracstrippingl ingots from mol-ds having chamtice most generally used in stripping ino'ots, 5 bers larger in cross section at the top than at cast Without a Shrink head portion, romcbigthe bottom, such, for example, as the kind end-up molds has been to up-end or invert of mold now Well known in the art as the the mold and contained ingot, then to loosen Gathmann big-end-up mold. the ingot from the mold when necessary ln the commercial production of metal in- 3S by 'jarring the latter, and then to lift the m gots it is the usual practice to place the molds inverted mold ofi' the ingot, the latter remain- G0 into Which a heat7 is to be poured on cars ing on the stool, table, or floor upon which and then to till or teem the molds with molten it Was placed when inverted. This up-endmetal in the vicinity of the melting furnace. 1ngpractice heretofore generally' resorted to After the molds have been teemed, the Cai-g necessarily results in much delay and high with the molds thereon are moved to another COSt Of handling of the ingot so that the big- 6 part 0f the plant in which the ingotg, having end-up ingot has not heretofore been proby this time solidified, are stripped or reduced from semi-deoxidized or from open moved from the molds and then placed in a Steel COmIuGlClally 1n any considerable tonsoaking; pit for equalizing and, in some cases, Hage despite the tact that, as stated above,

re MatmtO Subs@ nent Workin of the of steel are those produced in bi -end-u liOngt. y q g molds. ln my United States Pateiis 1,059? teel iiigots are produced from either fully 667 and 1,059,668, lSSucd April Q2, 1913, l cle-oxidized, semi-deoxidized, or open steel ha@ d lSClQSQd mCthOdS O f and apparatus tor W in accordance With the requirements of the St'lllmlj llgOtS @21st WlthOUtShruak head product to be made mth@ practice of the pap portions in big-end-up molds wyithout invert-- t'icular plant or both. rllhe best ingots obm9; 0f llp'endmg the mOldS' Eh@ apparatus tainable from each of these kinds of steel are Shown 1n the Patent? rferlfed t0 may be Sed i those cast in big-end-up molds. ngots cast for example for StflPPm lngOtS from IUOldS i w in such molds from. Jullydeoxidized steel are Provided With bO'CtOm ClOSureS Such as are S0 generally provided with shrink head portions Shown in my Pri()r Patent 1i660037 0f Fblll" `which are confined Within hot tops of refracary 21,1928- The present nventn, however:

tory material While the ingots are solidify relates to ingot molds provided with bottom ,Y ing. After such an ingot has solidified, the dogmes Whichre flamed Pa'l'culmly for U hotiop may be broken Way and the Shrink use in connection with improyed stripping?A S5 head portion of the ingot than gripped by applarattiis siiclas is disclosed in the present suitable tongs or the like and the entire ingot ppllca lon' lthough my lmprlgd @9ms nasa from the mold Whiie the naar is .0E C fslfes .afespecldl/ {1S/@ful Hl Wlhmt* clamped down or otherwise held stationary', Hgtllstmppmg 0.,.mgOtS @agb Wlthout 90 Before litinfr such ingots troni theirmolds mmf, letad mgt10-nsf my mayvds be' ded in this way it is usually necessary to first iiiit ai sctliiil loosen the ingot to facilitate its Withdrawal. pointed out I u USSOtS Cast in blQ'Gnd-up molds jIOUII Semi' The primary obiectof my invention is to 5 deoxidized or from open steel are normalprovldg an imp'rmd mold'constructiop for '95 1y not provided with .a shrink head portion facilitating stripping a big-end-up ingot. so that, after such an ingot has been cast, no ln accordance with my invention, l employ part of the ingot projects above the mold big-end-up molds of the kind having a. botproper and it is therefore not 'possible to toni opening which is closed by a novel clo- 59 merely grip the iiigot and lift it from the sure device. Preferably the molds used are 10G raising the temperature of the ingot metal the best ingots obtainable from these kinds 70 each provided with a double closure means comprising a plug of refractory material, and a meta-l plate positioned in the mold bottom opening and out of Contact with the refractory plug. Prior to teeming a j ag of molds, I position one or more molds on a support which isipreferably a car readily movable from the teeming place to the stripping location. This car or support is provided with a vertically recipro'cable stripper rod arranged above or adapted to be positioned above a device for `raising the stripper rod preferably comprising a cylinder having a fluid pressure actua-ted ram adapted to engage and lift the stripper rod. I so construct the stripper rod that its upper end is of somewhat smaller diameter than the opening in the bottom of the mold and so that it will project somewhat above the top surface of the support when the rod is in inactive or normal position. rllhis projecting upper end of the stripper rod may be readily seen through the mold bottom opening when the mold is being positioned on the car prior to teeming, and thus serves advantageously as a means for accurately centering th-e mold with respect to the stripping rod. When one or more molds have been positioned upon the car in this way, their bottom openings are closed, preferably by means of the double closurel referred to above; The molds are then `teemed and moved to the stripping location, in which the supportingV car is positioned over the ram whic is then yoperated to raise the stripper rod and ingot until the upper end of the ingot is projected somewhat above the mold top. If desired, the upper end portion of the ingot may be then grippedby tongs and the ingot completely withdrawn from'the mold, or, if it is desired to move the molds and contained ingots to still another location before completely removing the ingots, the stripper rods are locked in their raised positions and the car then moved to the desired location where the final stripping' operation is performed.

A practical embodiment is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view partly in section and partly in elevation of apartl of a steel plant, and illustrating the use of my apparatus in practice;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of an ingot mold and apparatus embodying my invention, some parts being shown in elevation;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2 with .certain of the parts being shown in different positions from the positions shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of the mold and apparatus shown in Figures 2 and 3; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectiongl view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure pered seat 12 formed in the to `The molds employed carrying out my end-up mold A positioned on a support or arranged to run on trackstransfer car B C-C by means of which the mold may be readily transported from the teeming location near the melting furnace to the stripping location near the soaking pit. Although only one mold is shown on the car B, it will beunderstood that in practice any' number of molds within reasonable limit may be placed on a single car.

The mold A is necked in at its bottom as at l, and the bottom of the mold is formed with an opening comprising a relatively wide, tapered upper portion 2 and a relatively narrow bottom portion 3 arranged concentrically with respect to the upper portion 2. A horizontal peripheral seat 4 intervenes between the upper and lower portions of the opening and is adapted to support a metal closure plate 5. A closure plug 6 of refractory material is shown positioned with its periphery in contact with the tapered portion 2 of the mold bottom opening, and with its bottom surfaces disposed above and out of contact with the plate 5. The plu 6 and the plate 5 together constitutea dou le closure The car B is provided withl an opening 7 in which a stripper rod 8 is mounted for vertical sliding movements, and preferably the car is provided with a downwardly extending bearing sleeve 9 which serves to guide the ystripper rod and to prevent binding of the latter. The sleeve 9 is provided with lugs 24 projecting laterally from it. It is desirable that the aforenamed parts be of rugged, inexpensive construction and for this reason both the car top and the stripper rod are of cast metal, the opening 7 in the car and the rod being unmachined and used as cast. For this reasn considerable clearance is provided between the rod and opening to assure free working movement.

The Astripper rod is per endwith an enlarged head 10, the lower face of which is tapered wardly as at 11 fory engagement with a taof the car at the upper end of the opening observed that when the strip er rod is in its normal inactive position as s own in Figure 2 the rod will be supported by the engagement of the head with the seat 12.

provided at its up-4 inwardly and downn will be maar?? arrange the head 10 that it will extend above the car top when supported on the seat 12 and l make the diameter of the head considerably less than the diameter of the lower portion 3 of the mold bottom opening. Nhen it is desired to position a mold on the car preparatory to teeming, the mold is lifted by an overhead crane and then lowered on the car in such a way that the mold bottom opening will be disposed substantially concentrically with the stripper rod head, the latter serving as a guide for properly locating the mold.

After the mold has been thus postioned on the car the closures 5 and 6 are then positioned in the mold bottom opening and the mold teemed. lt will be noted that, when the closures 5 and 6 are in place, the plug 6 is disposed above and out of contact with the plate 5, while the latter is disposed above and out of contact with the stripper rod head. rlhis arrangement assures proper seat-ing of the closures and elfective sealing of the mold. By making the closures separate from the stripper rod no trouble will be encountered because of the sticking of the rod to the ingot. rlhe car is then moved to the stripping station and positioned with the stripper rod disposed directly above a hydraulic ram 13 mounted for vertical movements in a hydraulic cyl'n der 14 which is preferably set in the floor.

lt is necessary that, during the stripping operation, the mold and car be held against vertical movement. For this purpose l secure the mold to the car by means of a pair of hooks H-H each having an eye 15 adapted to receive one of the usual lugs 16-16 at g the bottom of the mold, and a. nose 17 adaptrod, its head will ed to project into a recess 18 formed in the side of the car. rlhe car is in turn held against verticalmovement by means of hori- Zontal lugs 19 which project outwardlv from each side of the car and each of which` when the car is in position for stripping, is disposed below the overhang ng portion `2O of a bracket 21 anchored to the loorl Although only one such lug Aand bracket is shown on each side of the car, I prefer in practice to employ a plurality of spaced lugs and brackets ou each side, since this arrangement provides a more stable anchorage for the car and mold.

When the mold and car have been thus anchored the ram 13 is caused to be moved up by the action of fluid under pressure supplied to the cylinder 14 from a source not shown. During the upward movement ofthe stripper engage the plate 5 and further movement will ra se the ingot l unt7l the upper end portiony thereof is extended above the top of the mold as shown in Figure 3. The upper end portion of the ingot will thus be accessible for being gripped by tongs T as shown in Figure 1.

ln many cases it will be desirable to move the mold and ingot from the location of the ram to another part of the plant before completing the withdrawal of the ingot by means of tongs. I accordingly provide means for locking the stripper rod in its raised position after the ram 13 has been retracted. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, lt have provided a latch 22 pivoted as at 23 to two lugs 24 projecting laterally from the sleeve 9l forming partof the car (see Figure 5). Ths latch is adapted to ride in a longitudinal slot 25 in the stripper rod and to seat in a recess 26 at the lower end of the slot when the rod has been raised. A handle. 27 extending through an opening 28 -in the side of the car and being pivoted to the latch as at 29 provides for the convenient disengagement of the latter from its cooperating recess 26.

1n operation, been raised in the manner described, the latch will automatically seat in the recess 26,

and will thereby retain the rod and ingot in raised position, permitting lowering of theram without lowering of the ingot. The car with the mold and ingot thereon may be then moved to the desired location, such for instance as to a soaking pit 30 as shown in Figure 1. The upper end of the ingot may then be conveniently gripped by the tongs T carried by an overhead travelling crane 31 and the ingot removed from the mold and placed in the soaking pit in the usual manner; rlthe latch 22 will then be moved out of the recess 26 by means of the handle 27 and the stripper rod will-drop to its normal position wherein the head 10 is disposed to serve as a guide for the centering of another mold on the car. rlhe crane and associated apparatus for lifting the ingot completely from the mold may be of any suitable construction but may advantageously include a lifting connection between the crane and the tongs comprising twin interlocking chains 32 and 33 of the kind shown and described in U. S. Patent 804,243 issued to John F. Meigs and Robert P. Stout November 14, 1905. The arrangement of these chains is such as to provide al substantially rigid suspension for the ingot, which will not permit swinging of the latter when being moved over the soaking pit.

The foregoing is a description of the procedure followed in stripping big-end-up ingots having no shrink head portion, from big-end-up molds. In stripping an ingot which isprovidedwith a shrink head portion, the ram 13 is preferably moved upwardly only suiiiciently to loosen the ingot from its initial Contact with the mold walls, and the stripper rod will then to its normal position, seated on the car top.

i. e., with the head 10 The shrink head portion of such an ingot as cast projects above the mold top and it is therefore usually not necessary to raise the body of the ingot above when the rod and ingot have be permitted to return t bottom opening t the mold, since the tongs may readily engage the shrink head portion. However, my apparatus can be used to considerable advantage in the stripping of ingots of this class, since the initial slight lifting of an ingot overcomes any sticking relation between the ingot and mold and thus renders subsequent lifting of the ingot with tongs more easy.

Although Ameans for stripping Gathinann big-end-up ingots cast with a shrink head portion are well known, I believe the present invention to provide the first eliicient method and apparatus for eiiciently loosening, raising, and locking in raised position within the mold a big-end-up ingot so that its upper portion may be gri pod by tongs at a location remote from t ie apparatus for effecting the upward movement of the ingot.

My improved apparatus is thus applicable to the stripping of both kinds of big-end-up ingots, namely, big-end-up ingots cast with a `shrink head, and those cast without ashrink head. Generally speaking, the method consists in supporting a mold with the ereof disposed in substantially axial alignment with astripper rod, sealing the mold bottom opening by means of a closure device, and preferably by means of arefractory plug positioned in said opening and a plate also positioned therein but below and out of contact with the plug and also out of contact with the stripper ro'd, casting the ingot, raising the stripper rod to/move.

the ingot upwardly, and then gripping the upper end portionof the ingot and completely withdrawing it from the mold.

My improved molds are capable ofluse in connection with apparatus whichA is simple and of such arrangement that the various lparts may be of the rugged construction nec- Y essary in casting plant practice)` A jag of molds as set up in commercial production of ingots Afrequently consiits of thirty to forty ,molds/and heretofore, in commercial practice, it has been necessary tol provide thirty to forty lifting ramsrfor stripping the ingots of each jag, in other words, one ram for each mold. 'Ihe arrangement of my apparatus and the carrying out of my invention are such that only one ram need be provided for raising the stripping rods and ingots `of an entire jag, although several rams may be set up together as a unit when it is desired to attain greater speed in the stripping operation.

Heretofore, because of the high cost of stripping big-end-up ingots cast without a shrink head, few ingots of this kind have been i cast on cars.- By means of my invention such ingots may be stripped rapidly and chea ly,

'and the field for the use of the big-en -up mold, and consequently the field for the production of good quality steel, is thus greatly broadened.

I claim:

l. In an ingot mold of the kind provided with a bottom opening through which a stripper device is adapted to be moved for stripping a contained ingot partially from the mold, the Combination of a primary closure plug seated in said opening, and a secondary closure comprising a plate also seated in said opening below and out of contact with said primary closure plug, said plate being disposed entirely within said opening and not projecting below the bottom thereof.

2. In an ingot mold of the. kind provided with a bottom opening through which a stripper device is adapted to be moved for strippin a contained ingotartially from the mol the combination of) aI refractory primary closure plug seated in said opening', and

a secondary closure comprising a metal plate also seated in said opening belowand out of contact with said primary closure plug, said plate being' disposed entirely within said opening and not projecting below the bottom thereof. 1 y

3. In an ingot mold of the kind provided with a tapered bottom opening smaller at the bottom than the top thereof and through which a stripper device is adapted to be moved for stripping a contained ingot partially from themold, the 'combination of a primary closure plug seated in said opening with its periphery engaging the ta ered walls of said opening, and a secondar c osure comprising a plate also seated in said opening below and out of contat with said primary closure plug, said plate being disposed within said opening and above the bottom of said mold. f" i I 4, In an ingot mold of the kind provided with a botom opening through which a stripper device is adapted to be moved for stri ping va contained ingot t partially from t e mold, the combination 4of a horizontal seat formed in the wall of said opening intermediate the top and bottom ofthe latter, a pri mary-closure plug (seatedy in said opening above said seat, and a secondary closure coinprising a plate supported on said seat within with said primary closure plug.

sav

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

EMIL GA'IIIll/llhlhl'. 

